DAVAO CITY— To encourage rebels and small time illegal loggers to abandon their post, President Rodrigo Duterte offered a cash-for-work scheme for members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and illegal loggers to cut trees to provide lumber needed for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of communities ravaged by Typhoon Odette.
In his televised program on Tuesday, Duterte urged the rebels and illegal loggers to join the scheme, vowing to pay for their wages, trainings, and to take care of their needs and safety, as well as the welfare of their families.
“I am encouraging the illegal loggers, ‘yung mga small time, go back there. Somebody will take a census or whatever and make it a formal document at ako ang magbayad sa trabaho ninyo,” the President said.
“I’ll get it somewhere sa opisina ko. Opisina ko na ang magbayad para madali.”
To avail the offer, he said small-time illegal loggers must secure clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), noting they will only be allowed to operate their chainsaws to convert fallen coconut trees into lumber and are prohibited to cut anything else.
Addressing communist insurgents, the President urged them to surrender and not to worry. “Mag-surrender na lang kayo. Huwag kayong matakot. Pag magsabi ka naka-surrender ka pati bigay mo ‘yung baril mo, alam mo na na mayroong corresponding obligasyon na ngayon ang sundalo to accept you, to take care of you, pati pamilya mo.”
The members of the NPA and illegal loggers will be paid a minimum daily wage, President Duterte said, adding that he will personally go to the countryside to ensure that his orders are implemented smoothly.
Meanwhile, Office of Civil Defense administrator Ricardo Jalad, who was also present during the meeting, said the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) also offered the cash-for-work program for farmers to operate chainsaws to convert coconut trees into lumber.
The PCA is also planning to put up sawmills to produce high-quality lumber, said Jalad.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), for its part, transported sawmills and chainsaws to typhoon-affected areas like Siargao and Dinagat Islands to assist the regions’ rebuilding initiatives, AFP chief of staff General Andres Centino told President Duterte in his report.
The AFP trained its troops to operate and maintain the machines, General Centino said, noting one sawmill can produce about 1,000 to 1,540 board feet of lumber at full capacity in a day.
With four sawmills operating, the AFP chief said the government could produce at least three to four truckloads of lumber every day.
